14 DAY TRIAL // In a blog post on the company's PlayStation.Blog service, Eric Lempel, director of PlayStation Network operations, has officially announced that the 2.40 firmware update for the PlayStation 3 will integrate, as previously speculated, both "Trophies," which are the Sony equivalent to Achievements, and the ability to integrate the XMB blade into the games you are playing.
Sony Computer Entertainment is, as always when it comes to firmware updates, rather restrained in what it tells gamers. We do not know when the new firmware update will be around, as neither do we have a clue on whether any other features are integrated with it. It seems that this announcement was made only because of the leaks that depicted screens from the upcoming PlayStation 3 version of BioShock, with the Trophies visible and with XMB integration.
Until the release of 2.40, gamers will have to make do with the release of 2.36, which will be available shortly and that only "improves compatibility and performance with some titles" - as Sony usually says when putting out a new firmware upgrade.
The most significant development is the fact that Trophies seem to no longer be connected to the Home initiative from Sony. Originally, when Home was announced, Sony said that trophies could be earned in the games that one played only to be displayed later by the gamer's virtual Home avatar in the space he had created to socialize with other gamers. Apparently, this will still happen when Home rolls out, presumably this fall but, until then, it's not very clear how one's Trophies will be displayed for others to see them.
There's also no word on how long developers have known about Trophies and if they have managed to integrate them in their games. It's pretty clear that BioShock for the PS3 will have them. Even more, while apparently Resistance 2 is also getting Trophies, other developers have not released any information regarding their use in their games.
In the above-mentioned blog post, Lempel promises further official updates in the following days. So be on the lookout for anything bearing the Sony name.